Greetings from hot, sunny Tanzania where we are next to Mount Kilimanjaro. We arrived here on Tuesday, November 21 and immediately got to work on setting up the ISB sponsored gait lab in the Tanzanian Training Center for Orthopaedic Technologists. Our primary job was to install two force platforms in the lab.

Brian Davis, Joe Hamill, Geza Kogler

Greetings from hot, sunny Tanzania where we are next to Mount Kilimanjaro. We arrived here on Tuesday, November 21 and immediately got to work on setting up the ISB sponsored gait lab in the Tanzanian Training Center for Orthopaedic Technologists. Our primary job was to install two force platforms in the lab. Unfortunately, we had a small water problem. The hole that was dug for the force platforms continually filled with water. To dry up the holes we built the "Geza Dam." On Wednesday, after the hole dried up, we began the installation process that included leveling the platforms. Brian came up with a briliant idea for supporting the brackets to keep them level. We have now called this solution the "Davis Concept." On Thursday we expoxied the mounting brackets to the surface in the hole, leveled and spaced the force platforms. Friday we connected the force platforms to the amplifiers to make sure that everything worked.

Friday afternoon we took some time away from the lab and visited the Arusha Game Reserve. On this trip we saw giraffes, water buffalo, baboons, blue monkeys, wart hogs, flamingos, white tail monkeys, bush bucks, etc. in the wild. It was absolutely brilliant.

On Saturday, back in the lab, we instructed Longini Mtalo, an instructor at the Center, on how to use the platforms, that is, making the connections to the ampilfiers, balancing the bridges and the orientation of the platforms. We had then accomplished our primary mission which was to install the force platforms. This is the 11th time that Joe has installed a force platform, a feat on which he appears to have built his career. We also hoped to set up the cameras but, due to problems with Tanzanian customs, we were not able to do this.

Geza left today on the second part of his trip to western Tanzania, Joe is getting ready to go home and our intrepid adventurer Brian Davis and son are preparing to climb Kilimanjaro.